got a 6'x3' footprint on a large tank. current stock follows:
18" niger cat
9" irwini cat
10" fire eel
3" clown loaches x12
3" yoyo loaches x12
3" blood parrots x10
the parrots will be thinned out as they grow so no need for warnings on how messy 10 adults will be
build the tank for rays but never had the money for the black rays i wanted. bought some 'pretty fish' to please the wife and kid.
is it too late for a hystrix with these? ive heard they are soft skinned.
Hi mate.
Right... Oxydoras Niger is like already mentioned a gentle giant...giant being the operative word. These cats have a huge body mass in relation to a rather small tubular mouth that is used for filtering out small seeds,molluscs etc, so from a compatible point of view these cats are fine, the bad new is they grow to well over 1mtr so you will eventually have to part with it, so its a short term thing with this one, expect18"-24" in the first 3 years.
Irwini...(Megladoras uranoscopus)..Love this species, I have just aquired 2 x 24" specimens to go in with the rays, these grow slower than the Nigers and generally attain 24" under captive conditions so these are more suitable, no problem at all regarding aggression, they are totally peaceful.
Clown loaches...I personally don't like adding these fish a ray tank due to the fact that they often don't like changes and are susceptible to white spot. These can potentially grow to 15" plus in the wild however eventual size is often governed by the size and stocking level of the aquaria, it is rare to find Clown loach larger than 10-12" in any domestic situation.If you do add these fish make sure they are of a good size so that the ray doesn't try to eat them,they have a defensive mechanism beneath the eye in the way of a sharp tusk,this can prove fatal if a ray gets the fish stuck in its throat, also male sure you install a UV sterilizer as most chemicals for Ick are detrimental to rays.
Yo yo Loaches (botia lohachata\Almorhae)..This is quite an inquisitive species so be careful it doesn't want to take a nibble or two out of the disc of a smal ray, all Botia species have very hard mouth which they use for cracking snail shells,this mouth can inflict significant injuries to soft finnage...be aware! The Pakistan loach which it is also commonly refered to grows to around 8" long, the same applies with the UV as with the Clown loach.
Man made Parrots...don't like them myself but each to their own, they do provide colour. This Hybrid is crossed with a Red devil (Amphilophus sp) because of this the temperament can be variable, in general I have found them to be no more aggressive than Heros Severus (Severums) which for me is a better choice along with the many Geophagus species available.
Fire eels...love these,never bother anything, often feed from the hand given time and are very agreeable with most fish.I have kept them at 30" plus even with fish that would easily fit into their mouths but had no problems...a nice addition!
Sorry about the long answer but had some time to kill....hope this helps.
All the best!
